


Doctor Who: Caught in the shell

by TARDIS_Type40_my_all_time_favourite1986



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Falling In Love, Fear, Kidnapping, Lost Childness, Lost and Found, Love, One Shot, Twelve-Clara, whouffaldi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-03 22:04:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19473112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TARDIS_Type40_my_all_time_favourite1986/pseuds/TARDIS_Type40_my_all_time_favourite1986
Summary: Only a few weeks after her tenth birthday, a little girl disappeared without a trace. The Doctor, a well-known private investigator from Glasgow, whose real name nobody knows, takes the case, but soon he also realizes that this case goes far beyond his knowledge.But can the little girl, after many years as an adult woman, really be happy after her release, or is there something that keeps her sad?





	Doctor Who: Caught in the shell

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, dear Whovians.
> 
> Once again one of my many stories that go through my head.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading.
> 
> Allons-y

Doctor Who is © by BBC. 

Doctor Who: Caught in the shell

At the age of ten, in the winter of 1996, just a few weeks after her birthday, Clara Oswald disappeared without a trace.

The search took place at that time the famous private investigator, which was known only under the name 'The Doctor' on, because the father of the girl was of the opinion, one could not rely on the officials, because it would be guaranteed at some point, she would just Run away. Just as many children did at some point.

The Doctor was a man who was slowly approaching 40. His office was small and he had his very first electric guitar hanging on the wall, which was broken in an accident but could never be separated.

He looked at the man who came the extra way from Blackpool to Glasgow. Then he asked him how he can be sure that he could find his daughter.

„I know you can, Doctor. Their reputation is known everywhere, so far all cases have solved. I know you will find my Clara.“

He sighed. Of course he had a 100% success rate, but only in his hometown and Glasgow is not the whole world.

Dave Oswald shoved a photo out to him.  
„This is Clara, the picture was taken on her last birthday.“

He nodded, but why could not he approach the case so positively this time? Why was there a voice in him all the time that he would not be able to find?

Dave said goodbye to him now, and after leaving the office, leaned back.

Why was he thinking so negatively about this case?

The weeks went by without a trace of the girl. Was it really true that she really ran away from home? Was not she as good as she seemed?

He was desperate by all means. It had been gone for twelve or twelve weeks. There were no witnesses who saw them, and the school said only that they received a letter that the Oswalds had suddenly moved. From now on equal.

But all this did not get him any further. Why should a family just move away without a reason? Apart from that, they still lived at this address, which could easily be confirmed. Only her daughter just did not show up anymore.

Worrying over her daughter even drove Ellie Oswald to the brink of a nervous breakdown, leaving her husband on leave to take care of her.

And he also slowly started to hate this detective. Because of the best. This had to be a lie. He could have found his daughter long ago. Instead, she continued to disappear and the knowledge that she might be dead took more and more of his heart.

~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ ° ~ °

Time was of no importance to the little girl anymore. She was locked up here for weeks / months? Who knew? The stranger had told her that she was the best one, that she would stay with him forever and that there was no chance for her to escape.

He had now roughly pulled her to her feet and put on a kind of "costume". It was tight, very tight and when she said something, her voice came out only consumed. Through two small slits she could see through, but her vision was very limited.

„You will be my main attraction at the fairs. A robot that moves like a human, but nobody will know that there is a real human in there. No one would ask“, he clapped his hands and fired himself for his brilliant plan. He just had to show the world his artwork.

Clara was silent, talking could be dangerous now.

„Good girl. If you are allowed to say something, then you will address me with Master. Always, before every sentence, if not, I'll have to punish you unfortunately.“

She nodded.

„Good, then rest, tomorrow our journey begins. We will be at a fair in London. And do not trouble me.“

After that he was gone and she stayed here alone.

The years that followed, for many years, consisted of traveling to different cities, from one place to the next, and never found anyone who was a true human under the cover.

Finally, when she was 30 years old and the covers she was tucked into had, of course, changed over time, another man tagged her with a man watching her all the time, as if he suspected something.

He was older, perhaps more than 60 years old, but he also felt that there was no danger. He just seemed to suspect something. Did he know about it? Did he suspect that not everything was right here?

The Master was not there at the moment, so he left her alone here and when the stranger came closer she started to shake.

„Do not worry“, he said in a calm tone, „I will not hurt you. Wait, I think he will not be back so soon.“

Carefully, he removed the mask that covered her face and then got the shock of his life. Her face was pale, very pale, as if it had not seen sun in years. He swallowed when he saw this. What was done to her?

But this was not normal. Her eyes were the saddest in the picture. They were brown, but they did not radiate, only fear was written in them.

„You're beautiful“, he whispered, „whoever did this to you, I'll see to it that he does not enjoy his life anymore.“

Why did he say she was beautiful? Why was it so painful in his heart to see her like that? He had not asked for her name, but something told him that the young woman in front of him was none other than Clara Oswald.

„The Master told me that my father did not want me anymore and that's why I was with him.“  
„The Master? I should have known he was behind it, but in all these years I never thought it could be like this.“

He shook his head as he heard a laugh behind him. All this only made him loathe him more. He knew the Master from his colleague time and they had even been best friends until it broke the madness of the Master, because he suddenly imagined how he could control other people.

„That I'll see you again“, greeted his current archenemy in an icy voice, „did not expect you to stay in the case that long.

„You are... No, no matter what I say, it would still be too nice for you. You kidnapped a kid 20 years ago and you really do not seem to regret it. But why should I be surprised?“

There was a crowd around them now, but nobody asked what was going on.

Clara, on the other hand, just stood there, with thousands of questions popping into her head leaving only more questions. What was all this about? Why did they know each other and why is there one of them who was so angry, so protective of herself, even though he did not know her?

She wanted to say something, but hardly a word. So she stopped at the spot, waiting until he took her hand.  
„Do not worry“, his voice was low but still distinct, „he will not hurt you anymore. The fact that you have survived all these years also shows that you are stronger than many would suspect.“

That's it! She broke down crying and unconsciousness, in his arms together.  
„Every one of those damned pudding brains, who in the future would dare to harm you, with my own hands I will send to where there is no air to breathe.“

The question remained, however, why he was actually so angry. The case would soon be over after all these years, so after all these years he would not have to take care of her. It was enough if he brought her back to her parents and their ways separated then.

She could not have guessed that the sad news was far from over.

The Master was arrested at first, but Clara could not be happy about it. She was still too shocked.

„Come on, Clara, let's go.“

He took her home and asked her to rest. The shell, which she had to wear for years, even if she changed over and over again, of course, was gone. Never again would anyone put her in there, force her to pretend that she was a robot very close to a human being.

„You do not have to be scared, Clara. For now, you're safe here before I bring you back to your father. I would not like to tell you, but you would find out so soon or so. Unfortunately your mum died a few years after your disappearance.“

She only nodded. There were no tears, no screams... just nothing. She just sat silently on the sofa, looking down now.  
„I can barely remember my parents“, she admitted, „is that bad? Does that mean that I'm a bad person?“

Carefully, he took her hand. Actually, he was not human for closeness, but the case of Clara Oswald had not let him go all these years, and knowing that he had finally found her after all these years made him feel better.

It had all been just a coincidence. His inner voice and years of experience told him that something could not be right with this 'robot'. And he had been right with his idea.

„No, you're not a bad person, you've been away for a very long time and you've been lied to all these years, but that's not why you're bad.“

He looked her straight in the eye, but what he saw in it was still emptiness. Of course, it would take time for her to get better, but he sensed that she was brave inside when she thought of herself.

His hand still held hers, but she did not pull back, but grabbed a little harder. But he was well aware that he could not force her to stay with him.

So he finally brought her back to Blackpool, to her father, who at first could not believe that she was really standing in front of him, and then suddenly embraced by tears, embraced his daughter.

The farewell to him, however, was the hardest for her this day, she was with him for several days. He had freed her from hell, looked after her, and showed her that not all men were like the master.

She just did not understand why she felt so strange around him, and why her hands began to tremble when she thought of him. Clara did not know, either, that she had fallen in love with him. She could not understand the feelings, the fear of losing him forever. She would have to be afraid of him, because she was held prisoner for many years.

„Well, Clara“, said the Doctor, as he called himself, now to her, „Here unfortunately our ways separate. I hope that you will get through life well and remember, not all people are stupid pudding brains, there are also nice ones among them.“

Like him? She simply could not imagine that there was anyone more friendly than he was. Well, he could sometimes be very harsh and his tone would not appeal to most, but for her he was the nicest person she had ever met.

And then he was gone, gone from her life. Dave asked his daughter to come inside, but Clara just could not move, so her father had to gently pull her.

Again, several weeks passed, but Clara retired even more than ever before.

„Dave“, one day Clarice Oswald, Clara's grandmother, spoke to him, „you know what's going on with her.“  
„Of course, but it would not be good for her. Clara should not cling to someone who just is not good enough for her. No matter how much she has fallen in love with him.“  
„Your daughter is unhappy, do not you see it? She should actually be happy after she is released and the Master will hopefully be in jail for a very long time, but she has seldom left her room since she arrived.“

Dave shook his head.  
„Mum, it's just not possible. First, he is too old for her and second, I do not trust him. It had taken him 20 years to find her. Why not sooner? Why did not it happen sooner?“

While the argument continued between them, none of them saw them sneaking past them holding a suitcase and making it to the airport. Although she had to steal the savings of her father, but she could no longer live with the certainty of being without him.

As far as she could remember, he lived in London, but she did not know where it might have been. It would take some time until she found him. On the other hand, he was a well-known private investigator, so it might be easier to find him, if only she would ask around a bit.

Contrary to expectations, in London he had not plunged into his job but left all that behind. At the door to his office, the sign was turned 'closed' all the time, and he did not take any more cases.

When Clara knocked on the door, she received no answer from the inside. So she tried louder, but again she only welcomed silence from the other side. Maybe he just was not there right now.

She sat down on the stairs and decided to wait here. Even if she stayed the whole night. Because in the last few weeks she had recognized one thing, that she had fallen in love with him. Otherwise she could not explain where else these feelings came from.  
Of course, it took a while for her to really realize, until she realized that the reason for her depression over the last few weeks was because she could not be with him anymore. She had realized that she simply could not live without him.

„Clara? What are you doing here?“

Immediately, as if her body were self-reliant, without reacting, she had jumped up and hugged him.

„I love you!“, Those words escaped her before she could even think of them. He only pushed her away.  
„What you feel can not be love“, he shook his head, „you're just... oh, I do not know what you are. Definitely not in love with me. Not in that old face.“

She grabbed him and pulled him over so she could kiss him.  
He opened his eyes, but soon they closed and he returned the kiss in which she put all her love. Her hands went to his silver-gray hair, which felt really soft.

„I love you, Doctor, though you can not believe it, I love you. How should I not. I'm extra here, right? If I did not have those feelings for you, would I really have come the long way?“

It was true. She was here, she was with him. Because in truth he had fallen in love with her as well. From the first moment he saw her, he loved her, but he was also 28 years older, he was the man who had been looking for them when she disappeared.

„I do not know how you can love someone like me, but I'm glad you do.“

And this time he kissed her and showed her that he loved her as well.

The end.


End file.
